Source: Shelly Sterling will remain involved with Clippers after sale

Shelly Sterling’s $2 billion deal with Steve Ballmer to sell the Los Angeles Clippers contains an arrangement for her to stay involved with the team.

A source close to the negotiations said Shelly Sterling pulled off a way to stay “involved with the franchise.”

Shelly Sterling signed a binding agreement with Ballmer Thursday night, ending a fast-tracked bidding process to sell the franchise owned by Sterling and her husband Donald since 1981. The negotiations took place in the Century City law offices of Greenberg Glusker, the source said.

The agreement between Shelly Sterling and Ballmer contains a “creative way with Mr. Ballmer to meet the desires of the league to sell 100 percent of the team, and the desire of Ms. Sterling to remain a participant and to remain involved in the franchise,” the source said.

The source declined to elaborate, but said the role would extend past simply attending games.

Shelly Sterling’s push to sell the Clippers comes after the NBA officials banned Donald Sterling for life from the league, and announced they would force a sale of the team. It’s unclear if Donald Sterling will support the sale to Ballmer.

Nor is it clear if local city leaders will support Shelly Sterling’s continued involvement in the team.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers said last month that it would be “a very hard situation” if Shelly Sterling retained an ownership role, while Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti called for a “clean break” from the Sterlings.

Late Thursday, Ballmer said in a statement he was “grateful to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and his colleagues for working collaboratively with me throughout this process.”

Silver has yet to publicly comment on the selection of Ballmer, which needs league approval.

In response to questions about Ballmer’s winning bid, NBA spokesman Mike Bass released a statement on Friday that said: “Commissioner Silver has consistently said the preferred outcome to the Clippers proceeding would be a voluntary sale of the team.”

TMZ.com reported Friday that Donald Sterling was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease earlier this month, news that was confirmed to the Daily News by the source. TMZ also said that Donald Sterling was declared mentally incapacitated by two neurologists, and Shelly Sterling has control over the family trust.

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Sterling’s lawyer, Maxwell Blecher, told CNN that calling his client incapacitated is a “vast overstatement,” and said the 80-year-old’s diagnosis was of a “modest mental impairment” or a “slowing down.”